1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and equipment for use in marking the water surface location where an object of interest has sunk to enable a rapid recovery operation. The marker buoy of this invention is particularly applicable to rapid location of submerged surface vessels, aerially dropped devices, or re-entry vehicles. When an object of values has sunk, either by accident or otherwise, the location may be of substantial importance. In the instance where personnel are in a sunken craft, the time required to locate the point where the craft has sunk would be of critical importance. In other situations, the marking of a spot or of an area could be of importance to indicate and mark the location where, due to the presence of an object that has sunk, a dangerous situation would be presented to marine traffic if not properly warned. The general use of the marker buoy described herein would permit rescue or salvage operations to be undertaken with a minimum loss of time, the time of recovery measured from the time of drop to the time of identifying drop location.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices to mark water surface areas and locations and or to identify where an object of interest has sunk are all well known and have been displayed over the years in numerous embodiments and configurations for each specialized need the device was developed. Illustrative examples of more recent devices used as aids in marking locations are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,553,751 to Lewis, 3,310,820 to Elo and 3,121,889 to Gentile. These devices, however, are difficult and expensive to manufacture, complex in operation, and yet not sufficiently rugged and durable for severe oceanic environments.
Other examples of devices previously used to help locate sunken objects for recovery include "pingers" and "bubblers." A "pinger" is an electrical signal sending unit which produces a "ping" at a specified interval and frequency to help in locating the object by measuring signal response differentials. The "bubbler" is a short duration phenomena device that allows the underwater release of air, thereby sending a column of air bubbles to the water surface. Both were inefficient and the time required to locate the object was too long and too costly for most recovery operations and would be unacceptable for operations requiring rapid location of craft containing personnel.